Happy Tuesday! It’s time for another edition of Tuesday Topics. This week’s Tuesday Topic: How do fit in fitness over the holidays? You can write about this or any running related topic. Remember to link-up with Kim and Zenaida and the bottom of this post.
I can’t believe that I just typed out the word holidays. I don’t like to look too far ahead around this time of year. I like to give each holiday it’s proper celebration. That being said, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays which leave little time for working out. Here are a few ways I stay on track during the holidays.
Find alternatives to typical holiday gatherings
I believe in balance when it comes to meeting up with friends, family and co-workers for holiday gatherings. Usually holiday gatherings focus on food, but you can shift the focus to exercise for some of those events. Meeting friends for dinner and drinks – why not agree to meet for a walk before or after the meal? It’s a good way to get even more quality time with your loved ones.
Plan your workouts
I do this all the time, so it’s easy to implement it for the holidays. I know I tend to be a little busier the last two months of the year between work and the holidays. This means that my daily workouts might be shorter, but that’s fine! I know this and plan accordingly. Plus it’s good for me to look at my planner and see what my workout looks like for the following day. It makes it less likely that I will bail on the workout.
Involve the family
Luckily holiday themed races are pretty popular. Why not get your family involved and register for a Turkey Trot? I always feel good when I log miles on Thanksgiving morning. You can also usually find Winter themed races in December as well.
Tell me: How do you fit in fitness over the holidays?
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Like you, Kim, I treat the holiday “days” like regular non-holiday “days.” I’m an early riser, so it’s pretty easy (most of the time) to get the workouts done before the busy days begin. I’m a huge believer in Turkey Trots! Our 10th annual trot just posted the event info this week on social media 😉 I usually try to find holiday-themed races, but they’re not too plentiful in my immediate area, though I try to organize an evening “under the holiday lights” run with some locals peeps. For someone who detests the cold, I manage to find ways to still get outside LOL
Sadly I don’t think the Turkey Trot is going to happen in my city again this year, it will probably be virtual. Maybe I’ll just run my own 5K that day in my turkey costume lol.
you have the best turkey trot costume! I hope we see it
Unfortunately my family tends not to move too much. The friends are a different story! I think being Jewish tends to save me from at least some of the parities.
My biggest tip is don’t beat yourself up! Make the choices YOU want & enjoy them!
100% agree! I have seen people beat themselves up for “enjoying the holidays too much”. That just sounds crazy to me because of course you’re supposed to indulge over the holidays!
I’m Jewish too. But I love the holidays.
I always run a Turkey trot. I wish my family would join me. Hey. Their loss.
And my friends and I dress up for a local Xmas themed race.
I also run a race on new years day. But at least it doesn’t start until noon. Lol.
I wish I had a local New Years Day race – I would totally do that!
Involving the family with a walk before or after the meal or even a Turkey Trot is a great idea, Kim!
Fortunately (or unfortunately?) the holidays come and go and I hardly notice them. Halloween is not a big thing in Europe, Thanksgiving obviously doesn’t exist. Christmas is more like a summer holiday in South Africa.
But there are other times where it’s hard to get a workout in – when travelling or when things get very busy at work. For that, your tip to plan is very valuable!
I’m not a huge Halloween person – I don’t decorate but I do give out candy to the kids.
As Catrina wrote, in Europe Halloween is not a great thing and Thanksgiving doesn’t exist.
Here the “big” holidays are Easter and Christmas.
About the workouts, for me the difference between “the holiday days” and “the not holiday days” is that on the holiday days I can enjoy the city without the car traffic and it’s possible to run safely on different routes.
Such a good point! I always appreciate the lack of traffic early in the morning during the holidays.
planning is key for me as well always. I also love a good turkey trot or two. Looks like they are back this year!
The turkey trots are always so much fun because people tend to dress up more for it!
I so agree about the importance of planning! I usually prefer to workout early in the morning so that helps – less chance of a scheduling conflict. I love getting a run in on Thanksgiving morning – I’ll be curious to see if Turkey Trots return around here this year.
Same here. I know that as the day goes on, there’s less of a chance of me getting in a workout because sometimes always seems to pop up that I wasn’t planning for.
You might not have liked typing the work “holidays” but I can tell you I was very excited when I saw this topic! I love this time of year, and anything holiday-related. Great suggestion to make get-togethers fitness related. I think most people would appreciate being active before or after a meal. I’m always envious of people who do a Turkey Trot with their entire family- my husband and I will do it together, but the kids think we’re insane. Oh well!
I do love this time of year but I also like to give each holiday it’s “moment” lol. Right now I’m all about apples and pumpkins and next month I’ll switch over to all things turkey related.